News digest 9 December 2013

News digest 9 December 2013

09 December 2013

It’s a case of haves and have-nots in today’s digest as many of the papers splash with the proposed 11 per cent pay rise for MPs, equivalent to stuffing an extra £7,600 in their pockets. This is happening at the same time that other public sector workers are struggling with not just a pay drought, but are being driven into outright poverty. The headline in the Indie sums it up as: “The poorest pay the price for austerity” noting that the UK is seeing the biggest drop in living standards since the Victorian era. According to a report from the New Economics Foundation more than five million people are now classified as low paid, and many public sector workers are struggling to make ends meet. The NEF estimates that there are now one million public sector workers employed on low wages, double the previous estimate. The FT has a cheeky headline saying “Duncan Smith is to write off millions”, it refers to the wasted spend on the universal credit reform, but could actually refer to his attitude to ordinary working people. And the gloomy news does not end there, there’s also coverage of the latest report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which has found – for the first time - that there are more working households living in poverty in the UK last year than non-working ones, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said low pay and part-time work had prompted an unprecedented fall in living standards. Joseph Rowntree Foundation chief executive Julia Unwin, said: "We have a labour market that lacks pay and protection, with jobs offering precious little security and paltry wages that are insufficient to make ends meet. "While a recovery may be gathering momentum in the statistics and official forecasts, for those at the bottom, improving pay and prospects remain a mirage." It’s time to raise the minimum wage by £1.50 an hour and put money in the pockets of those that need it most, and for those that still have a bit of spare change don’t forget you can still donate to the Unite Christmas appeal...